The severity of coronavirus infection may depend on the quality of the intestinal flora
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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It is known that the course of COVID is always different for different people: in some, the disease can be almost asymptomatic, while others develop pneumonia, fever, and other serious symptoms appear. The scientific world is still trying to figure out what factors can cause the development of a severe form of the disease. It has already been established that a certain risk is present in people who are deficient in vitamin D in the body. To date, experts have discovered another factor: the composition of the gut microbiome.
The scientists published the results of their research on the pages of the journal Gut . During the experiment, fecal samples were taken from patients with coronavirus infection, both from asymptomatic patients and from those who were in critical condition. In addition, analyzes were made of the feces of convalescents and healthy volunteers who did not have COVID-19. It was found that the composition of the gut microbiome in sick and healthy people was very different.
Inside the intestines of infected patients, there was a lack of bacterial microorganisms Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Fecalibacterium prausnitzii, Eubacterium rectale, which should play an important role in immune function. At the same time, they had an excessive amount of other microorganisms, which should normally be less. The more difficult the disease progressed, the more pronounced the bacterial imbalance was. Interestingly, an abnormal microbial ratio was detected even one month after the patients recovered.
Scientists have suggested that people with abnormal intestinal bacterial balance are more vulnerable to the virus. Lack of bacteria that are important for immune defenses causes problems with disease resistance. As a result, unpleasant consequences develop that bother the person even after his recovery.
Of course, it can be assumed that it was the causative agent of the coronavirus infection itself that destroyed the overwhelming part of the beneficial microflora in the intestine. To prove the opposite, many experts insist on conducting a second study, during which it would be possible to compare the test rates before coronavirus infection and after convalescence. If an imbalance in the bacterial balance is noticed only from the moment the disease develops, then it will be possible to conclude that there is no effect of intestinal bacteria on the complexity of the course of COVID-19 .
So far, scientists can only recommend maintaining the quality of the intestinal microflora as a prevention of coronavirus infection. Most likely, in the near future, the researchers will continue their work and please us with more accurate and optimistic results.
The influence of microbiome quality on immune function and the development of certain diseases has already been confirmed in a number of scientific studies. As for the incidence of COVID-19, at this stage, scientists are already conducting additional evidence-based experiments.